Rob Elmes named SSPC Researcher of the Year!
Maynooth University Faculty of Science & Engineering are delighted to announce that Associate Professor, Rob Elmes has been named SSPC (the SFI Research Centre for Pharmaceuticals) Researcher of the Year 2023. Rob received his award from SSPC Director, Prof. Damien Thompson at the SSPC awards ceremony last week.
Rob’s research interests lie in the fields of Supramolecular Chemistry and Chemical Biology where the group is trying to develop areas in both health- and nano-science. Rob’s current research concerns designing biomimetic materials as drug delivery vehicles, diagnostic tools, antitumor therapeutics and environmental sensors. He is a strong publisher with >50 publications in recent years in prestigious journals such as Chemical Science, Chemical Communications and Chem.
His team created a new molecule to tackle antimicrobial resistance. Published in the journal Chem last year, the study demonstrated for the first time the use of table salt to cause cell death in bacteria. Rob and his team at Maynooth University were part of an international study that created a new molecule to kill bacteria that have developed antimicrobial resistance (AMR), supported by SSPC and the Irish Research Council. Read more here.
Earlier this year Rob announced a new SSPC research partnership with Icelandic biotechnology start-up Axelyf, working with Dr Örn Almarsson, CEO. The collaboration aims to impact patients’ lives through the development of next-generation delivery technologies for emerging therapeutics, such as the mRNA class of compounds. Read more here.